He won the Mosman Art Prize in 2010; the previous year he won the Mosman Art Prize Peoples Choice award and was highly commended. He was awarded the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize in 2005 and the 2005 Tattersall’s Art Prize for landscape painting. He was also winner of the Paddington Art Prize and the Norville Australian Landscape Prize, both in 2004.

Waddell has been a finalist in the Sulman Prize in 2010, Dobell Drawing Prize in 2007 and 2004, the 2007 Glover Prize for Landscape Painting of Tasmania, the 2006 Archibald Prize, the 2006 Kilgour Prize and the ABN AMRO 2006 Emerging Art Award. He was also included in the Salon Des Refuse 2006 exhibition.

In 2005 he was a Finalist in the Wynne Prize, and in the 2005 Blake Prize for Religious Art. Waddell was highly commended for the Brett Whiteley Traveling Scholarship in 2003, 2001 and 1999 and the Lloyd Rees Memorial Award 2000. He was the recipient of the Waverley Painting Prize 1999 and the Pat Corrigan Traveling Scholarship in 1998.

Waddell has completed residencies in Paris, Thailand, Vietnam and Sydney and has participated in many group shows.